Kasper: Castro Doesn’t Change Approach With Different Lineup

CHICAGO (WSCR) Not only is 21-year old Starlin Castro the Chicago Cubs’ most promising player for the future, he can easily be considered the best player on the their roster right now. But through the first 42 games of the season, Castro has hit in five different spots in the lineup.

“[Mike Quade] just does not believe that his approach changes moving around in the order,” Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper said on the Danny Mac Show. “And I think that’s more a function of the rest of the lineup than it is of Castro, you just have moving parts all over the place. [Aramis] Ramirez is generally going to hit cleanup. You know, when [Carlos] Pena was cold, he went down to seven or eight, then he got hot and you move him back up.

“So that’s, I think, the biggest issue here. Yeah it’s an interesting argument, I think you can make it: just leave him right where he is. But I don’t sense that Castro really changes anything depending on where he’s hitting.”

The bulk of Castro’s at-bats have come in the top three spots in the lineup. And a quick look at the stats will tell you that while Quade and Kasper might feel he doesn’t change his approach, he gets significantly better production when hitting leadoff.